Tally the Votes

It's that time again, the first polls are being released. The AP Top 25 has not been released yet, but the ESPN/USA Today poll was and VCU received 5 votes, ODU 3, and our beloved Patriots received 2. I'd like to point out that that's one more vote than Maryland got, ha! This is great news for our conference showing that we already have some respect entering the season, unfortunately it makes it difficult for Mason or VCU to sneak up on other teams. Even though the out of conference schedule for our teams is not great, I still believe one of these teams will have a chance to crack the Top 25 by mid-season.

Florida Big Man Headed to Fairfax

At long last Mason has finally reeled in a big man in the 2008 recruiting class. Michael Morrison of St. Petersburg (Fla.) Lakewood has given a verbal to Coach L and at 6'8" (6'9" on some websites) he brings some size that Mason will definitely miss after Will Thomas and Darryl Monroe leave. Rivals.com has an article on him that states he is one of the "best shot blockers in the country". It's difficult for me to remember a time when any Mason forward had more than 2 blocks in a game, so a player like this could add a new dimension to Coach L's defensive schemes. This website ranks Morrison 44th best player in Florida when he was a junior and sadly we all know how well Florida is at producing athletes. Morrison is also a leader, much like the other '08 recruits, as he guided his team to the state championship game last season.

Pearson commits to Green and Gold

Coach L has gotten a third verbal for this 2008 recruiting class. The latest member is 6'6" forward Ryan Pearson from New York. This article mentions his solid rebounding skills in the Nike Super Six tournament. Check out him in action on these youtubes, he's number 24. Supposedly he chose Mason over a couple of Big East schools, largely because Mason came after him first and he loved the coaching staff. In these rankings from HoopScoop Online they rank Pearson #94, which is higher than Mason's two other '08 recruits. It's funny how the three recruits are ranked in different order in almost every website but that's just the way these player rankings go. The only question I have is what role he will play for Mason. He was basically a power forward in high school but I think he is undersized to play that at the college level, but Mason could definitely use a solid rebounding forward regardless.

And it begins

It wasn't quite midnight and there wasn't much madness, but last night the Patriot Center was alive and well for the first basketball crowd of the season. Sure it may not have been on ESPNU this year but at least you got to see Gunston dance to "Bye Bye Bye". Here's some other things I took away from last night:

• Darryl Monroe was in crutches, but don't worry it's only his toe, you can read more about his injury here
• The spotlight dance show from Gunston did not win me over, I still hate him
• Louis Birdsong jumping off the platform during introductions gave me a scare, has there ever been an injury report necessary after midnight madness?
• Coach L came out but didn't have any new material, still sticking to the CAA/Mason related factoids to win the crowd over
• Next year I would enjoy NOT seeing the wrestling team dress up in drag and sing "Grease Lightning"
• Doc Nix was sporting the bald look and is it just me or did his cane get longer?
• Jordan Carter still has the best dance moves on the team
  
• Isaiah Tate has got some serious ups and seems to already be a fan favorite, helping the freshmen win the dunk contests
• I can't wait to watch Dre Smith again this season, the best is yet to come

New Kids on the Block

With midnight madness only days away we will finally get a chance to see the our new freshmen players in action at the Patriot Center. Here's what we can expect from each of them this season:

Cameron Long: Can play either guard spot but will most likely need time to adjust to the level of play before he's a regular contributor off the bench. Cam showed in high school that he is solid leader as he almost single handedly carried his team into the state playoffs. Has great size for a CAA guard (6'4") and is the best one-on-one defender of the new guys coming in.

Isaiah Tate: When Tate walks on the court for the first time in Fairfax he will probably be the best free throw shooter on the team, if not the best pure shooter. He put up almost perfect free throw shooting in his high school days and almost Steve Kerr-like numbers from behind the three point line. Tate will most likely get more minutes than Long because of his ability to hit three pointers which was greatly needed in the end of some games last season.

Vlad Moldoveanu: The Final Four baby is the most highly touted freshmen to come to Mason in years. The 6-10 Romanian has international competition experience and is an excellent shooter. He is not a great rebounder despite his height and needs to add some bulk to his frame. That being said Vlad is expected to be a prolific scorer at the collegiate level and will log the most minutes of the newcomers, considering he is really the only true small forward on the team.




Jay Threatt: The small point guard probably won't see much action this season but his quickness and ability to get the basket do provide a great asset to the team. If he develops the ability to become a play maker I could see him getting some more minutes but he would have to excel better than Long or Tate and I don't really think he is up to their skill level.

Keep'em Coming

The 2008 recruiting for the Patriots is already starting to look very promising with Cornelius recently committing and now Florida native Kevin Foster entering his verbal yesterday. Yeah that's right he's from Florida. I would almost have to believe the commitment from Cornelius may have helped persuade Foster to come to Fairfax. I am just thankful that at last Mason has finally brought in a three star power forward, unfortunately he will have the task of filling the shoes of Will Thomas (who by the way is ranked the #24 power forward in the nation at collegehoopsnet.com). Prepstars.com has a write-up on Foster and mentions him as being "a high-major player for sure". But what I like most about what I am reading on Foster is his short hook shot and ability to get to the free throw line. Also the kid averaged 8 rebounds in his junior year, an area of the game Mason has been desperate to improve on for years.

Mason makes a Splash

Sorry for the long delay in posts but I come back bearing some great news and no it's not that Mason finally released a schedule. The 2008 recruiting class is already in full swing as Mason has received a commitment from Charlotte native Andre Cornelius. Coach L had been after Andre for awhile and he was coveted by many other top schools including USC, Tennessee, Oklahoma State, and Illinois. Scout.com has Cornelius ranked the #38 point guard in the nation despite being 5'10". What Andre lacks in size he makes up for with quickness and the ability to penetrate. He definitely fits the mold of a true point guard and will be needed with most of Mason's veteran guards graduating in the coming years. You can check out a video of him in action here. Future looks bright for Mason in the back court, but I am still waiting for Coach L to sign a big man to eventually replace Thomas and Monroe.